Yesterday all of my children and I went all out for the World Cup final. Being half Dutch (“the good half” I always tell people) I have always cheered for Holland at the World Cup. And always had my hopes dashed along with all the other good-natured Dutch fans. The love of Holland has clearly carried over strongly to my children.

Four of my five kids, all in orange.

My youngest daughter is in Europe this summer and she had planned her trip around the World Cup schedule. She is the biggest soccer fan by far in the family. While the rest of us where cheering ourselves hoarse in the atrium at the CBC building, she was cheering with the crowds in Holland. Well, cheering right up until the end, that is.

For 117 minutes, we could still believe we were number one...

I always like opportunities like this that allow my kids to connect a personal experience with the larger world around us. You can learn some interesting things this way. For example, we thought the Spaniards were  diving all over the place and faking injuries left and right. In all our excitement for the Dutch, it did not occur to us that our team were actually being pretty rough. Clearly we still have a thing or two to learn about soccer, but it was an eye-opener this morning to open the newspaper and read what the experts had to say. We have to admit it: Spain held their own and deserved the win. Congratulations!

It was a great shared experience for us as a family – and a shared experience for so many people around the world. What an amazing time we live in.